Bexley Council is facing scrutiny over a reported unexplained drop in domestic abuse repeat incidents. Figures presented in the Bexley Status Report for the third quarter of the financial year (October to December 2025) indicated a reduction that was noted as being lower than guidelines suggest.
During Bexley's Public Cabinet meeting on April 9, 2026, Julia Owen, Head of Strategy, Performance, and Complaints, presented the report, which monitors the council's performance against key indicators. While the report highlighted positive trends in other areas, the decline in repeat domestic abuse incidents prompted questions from councillors regarding the underlying reasons for this reduction.
The specific guidelines being referred to are those from Safe Lives, which suggest a target range of 28%-40% for repeat domestic abuse incidents. The data, collected and monitored quarterly as MARAC cases, showed that for Q3 2025/26, Bexley recorded 24.14% repeat incidents. This figure represents a decrease of 3.02% compared to the previous quarter (27.16%) and a decrease of 4.32% compared to the same period last year (28.46%).
The Bexley Status Report for the third quarter of the financial year (October to December 2025) is available to view in full here. The Public Cabinet meeting details can be found in the Public reports pack.
